Brutal mistreatment of prisoners cannot be ignored
Green MP Keith Locke says threats by the Justice Minister to appeal compensation awarded to five prisoners for severe
mistreatment send the message that prisoners have no human rights and ‘deserve’ whatever brutality they encounter in
jail.
The High Court found that Paremoremo prison authorities had failed to treat the prisoners in a humane way, by
incarcerating them in solitary confinement for periods ranging from six weeks to more than two years.
“Whatever heinous crimes they have committed, prisoners have the same human rights as everyone else,” said Mr Locke, the
Green Party’s Human Rights spokesperson. “To simply confiscate compensation payments, as the Minister suggests, would
only discourage legal challenges to wrongdoing in our prison system.”
Mr Locke said that the Green Party supported victims’ rights and was in favour of reparations being awarded at the time
of sentencing.
“If a prisoner hasn’t paid those reparations then part of any income they gain, including from compensation payments
such as these, should go towards it.
“However, we are departing from principles of justice if we deny compensation to people who have been subject to inhuman
treatment, whether they are prisoners or free,” said Mr Locke. “To take away the right to compensation for mistreatment
would give a green light to prison authorities to abuse other inmates.”